Ian Christie talk

On 22nd of March 2010 Prof. Ian Christie opened the exhibition with his mind blowing lecture (as usual) on "Britishness"...

The lecture gave an overview of Britishness and how Polish artists have come to interpret British cinema.

Films discussed included

"A Matter of Life and Death"

-an allegorical and magical film that begins
with the quotation

"This is the story of two worlds, the one we know and another which
exists only in the mind of a young airman whose life and imagination have been violently shaped by war... "

Powell & Pressburger (1946)

When the Polish and British posters are placed alongside each other it is clear that they are from different worlds. The British poster promote the stars in the film whilst the Polish poster go deeper into understanding the core of the film. At the core of "A M O L A D" is the power of love as an enduring and lasting force.

Equally interesting themes were examined in

"Cromwell"

(1970)
and

"The Private Life of Henry VIII"

(1933 & 1956)
and his tragic life so beautifully rendered in

"Anne of the Thousand Days"

(1969).

The Polish poster designed by Flisak vividly reminds us that Anne's legacy lives on and can never be fully extinguised despite Henry's desperate attempts. The colour and bold poster design interpret the film with a totally visual expression.

Ian Christie also wrote the opening chapter Picturing Britishness - Polish Posters for British Films in